Spanish Explorers

Spain went west• Difference

between Portuguese and Spanish expeditions

• Portuguese sailed east around Africa to get to Spice Islands

• Spanish sailed west

• But looking for same thing!

• Spice islands and india

Christopher Columbus

• Born in Genoa, Italy in 1451

• Sailor• He studied old

maps• Believed the

world was round• Believed that by

sailing west he could reach India

Sponsorship

• Needed money to pay for expedition

• Asked Portuguese King• Refused – why?• Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen

Isabella sponsored him• Why? Hoped to beat Portuguese in

control of the spice trade in east

Setting Sail

• Set sail from port of Palos – Aug 1492

• 3 ships – Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria

• Captain of Santa Maria, a naos

• Pinzon Brothers – Captain of 2 others

• Crew of 90

Essay on life onboard ship

• Ferdinand and Isabella had provided the food – dried fish, salted meat, beans, wine, salted bread

• In essay, always discuss food, disease, jobs of the crew, the sailor’s fears

Early Part

• Stopped at Canary Islands for supplies

• Fresh water and repairs• Then out to the unknown• Sailors very afraid they would

never see land again• Mutiny threatened• Put down by Pinzon brothers

Open sea

• Over a month in open sea• Fears increased• Columbus kept 2 logs – a real one

and one he showed to the crew• Why do you think he kept two?

Land!• After 33 day, land

was sighted• Landed on an island• Columbus named it

‘San Salvador’• Claimed it for Spain• Thought he had

reached Asia• Called the natives

‘Indians’ • Why?

The Islands

• Travelled around the islands

• Called them ‘The Indies’

• Landed at Cuba, Hispaniola

• Never actually touched mainland America

Home

• Returned home to Spain in March 1493

• Brought back no spices• But some gold, parrots, pineapples

and 6 ‘Indians’• Hero’s welcome• Title ‘Admiral of the Ocean Sea’• Made Governor of the lands he found

Famous

• Ferdinand and Isabella delighted• Sponsored more voyages for Columbus• Wanted to conquer this undiscovered

land for Spain• Columbus insisted he had reached the

East• Many people didn’t agree• Said it was the New World

Later Years

• Columbus – 3 more voyages• Brought Spanish settlers• Treated natives badly• Columbus recalled to Spain in

chains• Died a disappointed man, still

wished he had reached East

Results of Columbus’ voyage

• Although he never reached China he had discovered a New World

• Inspired many later explorers to sail west

• Most famous would be Magellan

Treaty of Tordesillas• 1494 – 2 main powers exploring the world• Spain and Portugal• They wanted to avoid war• Agreed to divide the new world between

them• The Pope decided the deal• What does this tell us about the power and

influence of Catholic Church in Europe?

Treaty of Tordesillas• 1494 Treaty –

Imaginary Line drawn down Atlantic Ocean map

• Anything discovered west belonged to Spain

• Argentina actually east of the line

• That’s why in South America every country speaks Spanish except Argentina

TREATY MAP

Landing on America

• An Italian explorer called Amerigo Vespucci

• Realised the land Columbus discovered was actually a ‘new world’

• Wrote a book about his voyage there

• New world named after him